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Okay folks, the main reason i joined this site was to find help deciding where i should relocate to. I have severe seasonal depression from Oct-April. Every year i tell myself i'm leaving but then inertia sets in . . .
THIS YEAR I AM MOVING!
SOCIAL: I'm a single chica in 30s, no kids, work from home, estranged from most fam and disconnected from most friends since they all started having kids. 2 cats which i adore
POLITICS: I am so far left that i am falling off the edge on social issues. I am a bit more moderate on fiscal policy but still have liberal values in that area. I'm not a fan of taxes (who is?) but especially since much go to school systems and i don't have kids. I read, but don't utilize the library. And i'm fine to pay for my own trash/recycling. Religion is open.
IDEAL (in no particular order):
Mild Winters
Liberal Politics
Can buy a house for about 250k
Low Taxes (on property, and income, don't care as much about sales taxes)
SUN SUN SUN SUN SUN!!!
Would love to be near the ocean but not mandatory (i don't know if i'd fit in on southern east coast and Cali is prob out of my price range)
An active Arts scene (artist is my second job)
Cat friendly
Some ideas i've been thinking of for many years:
North Carolina coast (but don't know where would be a good fit- suggestions??)
Sedona AZ (but not sure about losing daylight since there is no daylight savings time.)
Santa Fe or Albuquerque NM (but Albq may be too cold)
Maybe somewhere in Cali i haven't considered?
Florida- but where??
Vegas- low taxes, low COL, sun but do i REALLY want to be near all those "vices?"
I've already ruled out USVI and Hawaii.
Any thoughts (or at least help in whittling down my mega list??)
MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE!!
(PS- Sorry if you see this post elsewhere, i'm thinking i should post it in some of the places i'm considering too.)
Arizona time stays one hour ahead of us here in New Mexico all of the time. The only part of AZ that moves forward one hour in the springtime is the Hopi Indian Reservation (northern Arizona). The rest stays Pacific Time all the time.
Do you like artsy towns? Arizona has Bisbee-in the southern central AZ mountains so colder than Tucson or Phoenix areas but very eccentric and artsy. Southern AZ has lots of wineries, wine-tasting, art exhibits throughout the year, etc. Also Tombstone for historical gunfight mania. Benson is small, mellow and only about 40 miles SE of Tucson.
I too hibernate like a bear from November to April. I figure the bears understand winter and avoid it. People tell me it is a function of light intensity and day length. I believe the bears.
Where do you currently reside?
suggestions:
Get as much info as you can from the State Website including maps
Buy a copy of the Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas of New Mexico
Check out some relator websites for rentals and house availability and costs
Plan on renting for the first winter so you can check out the area
Plan to take a couple of weeks to explore the place and check out houses
Notes:
Picking up a rental car in downtown Albuquerque saves the airport access tax
If you live within 1,000 miles drive instead of fly
I spotted a couple of small houses in Alamogordo for under $100,000
Mild winters... but what about summer?
How big a town do you desire? (not many big ones in NM)
What sort of entertainment and recreation do you want?
Santa Fe is colder that Albuquerque.
In winter the sunniest place in the US is NM. It makes the climate very pleasant even if it is cold. CA's pattern is wet winter and dry summer, particularly striking in the north. NM gets most of their rain in the summer. It's near perfect IMO.
No ocean near here. Few lakes and rivers.
In most of NM you can buy a really nice house for $250k.
Thinking you might like Silver City NM... if you don't mind small (~10k) and ~120 miles from a bigger town (Las Cruces).
Love the name Utopian Slums, BTW.
Poncho... wouldn't this be better in the main NM forum?
Truth or Consequences, NM may fit your liking more than ABQ or Santa Fe. Silver City is another good choice. Both are about an hour and half away from Las Cruces.
Arizona time stays one hour ahead of us here in New Mexico all of the time. The only part of AZ that moves forward one hour in the springtime is the Hopi Indian Reservation (northern Arizona). The rest stays Pacific Time all the time.
Yes. The reservation goes on daylight savings time with the rest of the nation.
The rest of Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, and doesn't change.
Sedona AZ (but not sure about losing daylight since there is no daylight savings time.)
Arizona is one of the exceptions to the rule when it comes to observing daylight saving time in the United States.
The Navajo Nation which occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico, observes Mountain Standard Time (also known as Mountain Time Zone).
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